The present invention relates generally to communication network technology and capacity enhancement in connection with coupling a private Internet Protocol (IP) network of a service provider to a public IP network, and more particularly, to a system and method for dynamic IP address management.
Communications service providers can include third generation (3G) terrestrial wireless providers, satellite service providers, Local Exchange Providers, long distance service providers, bandwidth (BW) resellers, enterprise service providers, or any other similar communications service provider. As the telecommunications services industry matures, it is highly probable that the communication service providers will offer some form of Internet based service.
When a service provider offers an Internet based service, the service provider must allocate IP addresses to its subscribers. As the number of Internet services proliferates and the number of users of these services increases exponentially, public IP addresses will become a scarce resource. Accordingly, IP address management will become a critical problem.
Currently, service providers assign private IP addresses (e.g. in the form of 192.x.x.x, where x represents any interger) to subscribers for use within the service provider""s private network (or networks). Concurrent in time, more than one service provider may have assigned the same address to one of its respective subscribers or customers. Such an assignment of private IP addresses works fine if all of the respective user activities stay within the corresponding private network.
On the other hand, any request by a user to access the public Internet requires the assignment of a unique public IP address. In connection with accessing the public Internet, service providers have a prescribed set of public IP addresses available to assign to respective subscribers. Equipped with a public IP address, a subscriber may then access the public Internet.
FIG. 1 illustrates a current architecture 10 known in the industry. The current architecture 10 includes a private IP network 12 coupled to the public Internet 14 through a gateway (GW) 16. The service provider of the private IP network assigns public IP addresses to subscribers via a Dynamic Host Configuration Processor (DHCP) 18 and a Network Address Translator (NAT) 20. The NAT 20 maintains a table of entries for keeping track of current external (public) IP address(es) that are associated with an active subscriber""s internal (private) address. When a private network subscriber desires to access the external Internet 14, the GW 16 sends a request to the DHCP 18. In response to the request, the DHCP 18 assigns an available unique external IP address for the respective subscriber to use for external activities. When the subscriber is finished (or ends an external Internet access session), the subscriber informs the GW 16. The GW 16 then sends a release message to the DHCP 18, wherein the external IP address is again made available for use.
In addition to the above, the service provider may associate a time limit with a particular external IP address, while allowing for extensions of time to be requested. In such an instance, the subscriber can request extensions if the subscriber needs the external IP address for a longer time duration. Unfortunately, this latter method puts control of the external IP address at the mercy of the subscriber.
A disadvantage of this prior method is that the critical limited resource of external IP addresses is not effectively managed and the external IP addresses are subject to becoming unavailable during high usage demand times.
Accordingly, a suitable method for Internet address management is needed.
According to one embodiment, an architecture for dynamic IP address management includes a gateway (GW) coupled between a private IP network and a public IP network. A dynamic host configuration processor (DHCP) is operatively coupled to the GW. Lastly, a dynamic IP address management (DIPAM) processor is operatively coupled to the GW and the DHCP, for dynamically assigning to a private IP network subscriber equipment an external IP address and a corresponding IP address hold time as a function of an application to be performed. Assignment of the external IP address and a corresponding IP address hold time is in response to a) a request for accessing the public IP network by a subscriber equipment of the private IP network to perform the application or b) a request for accessing the private IP network by an entity of the public IP network. The external IP address is selected from a prescribed number of external IP addresses available to the private IP network.
A technical advantage is that the present embodiments provide an innovative architecture for dynamic IP address management for improving the efficiency of external IP address allocation.